Saturday, October 1, 2011

Occupy Wall Street: Then & Now

PREAMBLE AND DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES OF THE KNIGHTS OF LABOR OF AMERICA, 1886

The alarming development and aggressiveness of great capitalists and corporations, unless checked, will inevitably lead to the pauperization and hopeless degradation of the toiling masses.

It is imperative, if we desire to enjoy the full blessings of life, that a check be placed upon unjust accumulation, and the power for evil of aggregated wealth.

. . . Therefore we have formed the Order of Knights of Labor, for the purpose of organizing and directing the power of the industrial masses, not as a political party, for it is more . . . we declare to the world that are our aims are:

To make individual and moral worth, not wealth, the true standard of individual and National greatness.

To secure to the workers the full enjoyment of the wealth they create, sufficient leisure in which to develop their intellectual, moral, and social faculties: all of the benefits, recreation and pleasures of association; in a word, to enable them to share in the gains and honors of advancing civilization . . .

In order to secure these results, we demand at the hands of the State:

The recognition, by incorporation, of trades' unions, orders and such other associations as may be organized by the working masses to improve their condition and protect their rights . . .

The prohibition by law of the employment of children under 15 years of age in workshops, mines and factories . . .

To secure for both sexes equal pay for equal work.

To shorten the hours of labor by a general refusal to work for more than eight hours.

If you believe in organization, you are earnestly invited to join with us in securing these objects. All information on the subject of organization should be sent to the General Secretary-Treasurer of the Order, who will have an Organizer visit you and assist in furthering the good work.

As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of
mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so
that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know
that we are your allies.

As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the
future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our
system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to
the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that
a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but
corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the
Earth; and that no true democracy is
attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come to you at
a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over
justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have
peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known.

They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure
process, despite not having the original mortgage.

They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and
continue to give Executives exorbitant bonuses.

They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the
workplace based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity and
sexual orientation.

They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and
undermined the farming system through monopolization.

They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and
cruel treatment of countless animals, and actively hide these practices.

They have continuously sought to strip employees of the
right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions . . .

To the people of the world,

We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street
in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power.

Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public
space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions
accessible to everyone.

To all communities that take action and form groups in the
spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the
resources at our disposal.